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SNC Quarter Notes is an unofficial fan magazine for ATCO/Atlantic Records recording artist/group, Straight No Chaser. We are in no way affiliated with Straight No Chaser or ATCO/Atlantic Records. No Trademark or Copyright infringement is intended. All content remains the property of its original owner(s) and should be used for personal use only.

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Monday, April 15, 2013

When Deke Sharon
posted the link to the first episode of The
Sing-Off China, I was ecstatic, hoping that it would help to ease my
“Sing-Off withdrawal.” The show was very entertaining overall, but one performance
stood out above the rest. I was already mesmerized by Metro’s soulful voices
and beautiful harmonies; however, my jaw hit the floor when these four
Caucasian men started singing fluently in Chinese (Cantonese, to be exact). I
was expecting an English song, but in retrospect, it only made sense that they
performed a Chinese song. It was The
Sing-Off China, after all.

I immediately searched
online for more information about them! Metro is a four‑man a cappella group
that originated in the Midwest and has been performing in Hong Kong for the
past seven years. The group – Eric Monson, Sean Oliver, Michael Lance and Kevin
Thornton – celebrated its 14th anniversary this past July. Metro has a wide musical repertoire, including
covers of “Stand By Me,” “The William Tell Overture,” George Michael’s “Faith” and
Rob Thomas’ “Lonely No More.”

Eric founded the
group in 1998. He was producing choir festivals at Disney World at the time
when one of the artists approached him and asked if he would like to put
together a group to sing on the Celebrity Cruise Lines. Eric took the
opportunity and Metro was born. For many years the group performed
aboard cruise ships, travelling to over fifty countries and five continents. In
2002, Metro went on to perform at Tokyo Disney Resorts and later at Hong Kong
Disneyland. The group has also performed internationally for over 80 high
profile corporations such as Audi, UPS and Swatch. Metro is currently touring
as well as performing on cruise ships and at private functions throughout Asia.

To date, Metro has
recorded two albums. Music for a Metropolis (2009) has mainly
English songs with one Cantonese song, while No Borders (2012) has both classic and contemporary Chinese
(Mandarin and Cantonese) songs. Both albums are available on their official
website (www.metrovocalgroup.com) and on CDBaby. No
Borders is also available on iTunes.
The first song I listened to on their YouTube channel was “My Pride."
The arrangement of the song beautifully complements the words of hope, courage
and love in the lyrics. Eric has a couple of incredible solos in the song.
There is something special about his beautiful baritone voice that always warms
my heart. You can truly feel his passion for music in his voice, along with
such sincerity and contentment.

“Lights” and “A
Quiet Place” are my two favourites off of Music for a Metropolis. Their voices convey such incredible emotions,
yet are so soothing and peaceful that they would take anyone’s troubles away. I
also love their take on “Faith.” The song is completely stripped down to the
fundamentals, making it simple and organic – music in its purest form. Similarly,
their cover of “Lonely No More” is also beautifully raw and organic, with a hint
of dance-mix in the harmonies.

Another fun song to check out is “The William Tell Overture.” The arrangement and lyrics were written by Jay Giallombardo in the 1970s for his Barbershop quartet, The Grandma's Boys. It was made popular again in the 1980s by the Gas House Gang, and later revived by Metro when they performed it at Tokyo Disney Sea. The lyrics are hilarious and the arrangement is beautifully crafted, fun and upbeat. It’s a song that will surely put a smile on your face even on a cloudy day.

One of my favourite songs from their second album is “Meteor Shower,” the theme song from
a popular Taiwanese TV drama from the 1990s. Each member has a couple of solos in
this song – yes, even the bass gets to sing words! Sean, who sings lead during
the chorus, has a smooth, silky voice that blends perfectly with the harmony
from the rest of the group.

Make sure to check out Mike’s killer bass line, ridiculous vocal
percussion and awesome rap solo in
“Love is Suspected.” Don’t get me wrong, I love tenors and baritones,
but I have a weakness for basses and I absolutely adore Mike’s rich,
deep voice. As Metro’s main vocal percussionist, he focuses on
creating the sounds of an actual drum set and doesn’t mix it with
beatboxing. It’s incredible to watch him do vocal
percussion while laying down the bass line at the same time, simply
incredible!

“Change Myself” is a very fun song to listen to, with a lot of special vocal effects. I loved the
original song, but I must admit that I love Metro’s cover even more. It’s a
very positive and uplifting song and you can’t help but dance along. This time Kevin takes on the vocal percussion
as Mike lays down an elaborate bass line. Kevin is a vocal percussion beast
with funky beats and sounds, while at the same time singing backup for Sean. I
have watched the video of them performing this song many times and it always makes
me smile. They seemed like they were having so much fun performing! See for yourself!

Currently, all four members are on the faculty at the American Vocal Studio in Hong Kong. Eric
founded the studio to provide workshops and
seminars in different styles of singing, training
artists in pop, jazz, rock and musical theatre,
as well as a cappella. It’s wonderful to see
the group giving back to the community and passing on their musical expertise
to the next generation of artists!

Special thanks to Eric Monson, Audrey Tang and Yuki Lai for your correspondence and
valuable information!

Note from Sara: Great article, Tori! :o) I just couldn't resist throwing in SNC's fantastic Movie Medley under M! Today is also the 101st anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. #shipissinking
Video credit: VickyVictoriaG